Royal Goose Chase
by Yumi-chan-Hamano
Summary: Yuu has encountered many perils in his venture to rescue Princess Shinoa from the evil dragon that keeps her captive. However, when he discovers her, he realizes that not everything is what it seems and betrayal may be in the books for him as well.


Idea came from a prompt from tumblr! For the link, find the story on my Ao3 account!

Who would be a better lesbian princess than Shinoa? (Arguably Mitsuba but yeah)

* * *

Yuu huffed as he finally arrived at the abandoned castle in the middle of nowhere. The closest town was 2 hours away by foot. Even though Yuu had a horse with him, it seemed safer to leave his steed at the town as animals are more sensitive to threats than humans are.

And by threats, it meant the fierce dragon that guarded the princess. The royal family had promised her hand in marriage if anyone was able to save the princess. Many had tried before but ultimately failed.

Many of the earlier candidates came back frightened by the very sight of the large dragon and were looked down upon by everyone. But those who tried to fight the dragon came back heavily injured and suffered a big mental toll.

After the word spread amongst the villages and kingdoms, many feared to try.

Yuu, however, was not. He knew what he needed to do and he's going to do it. His strategy, unlike his predecessors, was to not engage the dragon and go right to rescuing the princess. If he was to be unfortunate to be faced with a dragon, he's going to count his luck and hopefully make it out with the princess.

Even with his solid resolve, he took a few moments to mentally prepare himself before he entered the ancient castle.

The rusty gates creaked open when he pushed them open. The castle has been dated with nature growing on the walls and worn down structure. But the inside was too dim for Yuu to make out most of the details.

 _How did the princess even end up in a place like this?_

But with that aside, Yuu had a job to do and he intend on finishing it. He needed to.

What Yuu didn't expect was how large and empty the castle was. The rooms were filled with spiders and cobwebs as well as some small woodland animals.

The princess had been locked away for almost two years now. How can she survive under such harsh conditions?

In the back of Yuu's mind, he's convinced that the princess he was to rescue is already dead. But he can't give up based on an assumption. If anything, he'll just have to find proof that she had already passed and reason his way out.

However, as he went from room to room, searching through the castle, time passed and it was night fall. Ignoring the fact that he skipped dinner, he also needed a place to sleep.

All the rooms had been covered in dust, occupied by other living things, or both.

Regardless, he can't go on tired. He'll definitely get eaten by the dragon if he somehow stumble upon the creature.

Trying his luck, he went up to the second level and looked around to find a room that resembled that of a bedroom. He did managed to find a few, all covered in dust and other things that he didn't have to energy to deduce their origins.

He decided that he'll just rest for the night before returning to town tomorrow at sunset, which should give him enough time to explore the rest of the castle for some sort of proof that his journey left him empty handed. But with how quiet the castle had been, Yuu had some doubts that he was in the right place. Yet everyone was convinced that this was where the princess and dragon resided in for the past 2 years.

As Yuu ran through his plans a third time, his eyes started to shut and he drifted into sleep.

~ Royal Goose Chase ~

Yuu woke up with a sneeze. Through his sleepy eyes, he could faintly make out all the dust floating around in the air with the sunlight shining into the room.

"Gross," Yuu said as he waved his hand through the air around his face. It only made things worse and Yuu grimaced at all the dust that seemed to have multiplied thanks to his action.

Something caught his attention that distracted him from the mess he was sitting and that was the smell of… food?

He took off his armour as he rested during the night and it would take too much time to put on again. Instead, he strapped on his sword and exited the room with caution.

The smell was much more distinct in the hallway and made Yuu's stomach grumble at the thought. He pushed away his hunger for a moment and concentrated on the source of the smell. The seemingly empty castle was not empty. Though his worst fear was that it was the dragon cooking up some human soup.

Yuu shivered at the idea but pressed on with his sword by his side.

He made his way downstairs, grimacing at the way the floorboards squeaking under his weight. He waited a short while after reaching the floor but no one greeted him so he pressed forward.

He found an opened door that was locked the night before. Walking through the doorway, the smell became much more prominent and the environment also looked cleaner, like someone had been cleaning.

Yuu quickly came into an area that looked like a kitchen, rundown but still functional as evident by the pot sitting on the counter with steam coming out.

"Who was-"

Something hit Yuu in the back of the neck, successfully knocking him out cold. The sound of clacking followed the dull thud of the man's body against the cold floor.

The purpled haired woman peered at the man and nudged his leg with her foot. Seeing the lack of response, she walked out of the room.

~ Royal Goose Chase ~

Yuu felt something warm against his skin. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked a few times before he realized he was staring in the face of a dragon.

"Fucking hell!" Yuu yelled as he tried to back away.

He found that his arms were tied skillfully around his torso, rendering them useless as he fell back on the stone ground and rubble. He could only rely on his legs to kick away from the large creature before it devoured him whole.

However, it didn't.

It, however, did moved closer, looming over him, but it just was looking at him. It was staring him with its golden eyes, looking deep into his soul. Yuu wanted to look away but it was entrancing.

'This is how I die,' Yuu thought as he closed his eyes.

"He's awake?" a female voiced echoed in the room. Yuu snapped open his eyes to see the dragon backed up slowly and he sat up again. He looked around to see where the voice came from as it obviously was not the dragon. He found himself in a presumably large room where the dragon was able to fit in. The walls had torches that lit up the area, but only well enough to make out large details.

Finally, a small woman walked up from behind the dragon. Her eyes glowed and looked almost golden in the flickering light from the lantern she held.

He could see her purple hair tied up in a messy ponytail and her clothes no more special than regular hunters. There were small tears and rips in the clothes, slightly dirtied from use, but was in good condition over all.

But then some switch flipped on inside of him as he gawked at the woman. She raised a brow at him but made no further attempt to pry information from him.

"You're the princess!" Yuu exclaimed. He could see her rolling her eyes but a smirk pulled onto her face.

"Indeed I am, Princess Shinoa Hiragi. Now, state who you are and what your business here is."

"Yuuichirou's the name, and I'm here to save you from…" Yuu's eyes trailed to the large dragon before snapping back to Shinoa, "save you from the dragon and bring you home!"

Yuu was surprised by the boisterous laugh that came from the small woman. The dragon seemed unfazed, if anything, it looked more calm.

It was odd to see the dragon so docile and not eat them both whole during this time. The scales on the dragon appeared to be an orangish-yellow in the glow of the flames of the lantern, but he was sure the colour of the scales was lighter than it appeared.

"I don't need saving. Isn't that right, Shi-chan?" Shinoa said as she turned to the dragon. It opened its mouth and let out a huff noise before Shinoa started gently petting the dragon that started to nuzzle against her. Yuu watched in awe to see the dragon that hurt so many people be so tamed around the princess. Although he was not harmed during the whole ordeal, he didn't quite believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

"B-but, there was others that tried to-"

"The others tried to hurt Shi-chan and got what they deserved," Shinoa huffed, "and I never said I needed to be save anyways."

"Your father, King Tenri, stated that whoever may save you from the beast-" Yuu gulped nervously at the murderous glance from Shinoa before talking again, "save you from the dragon, that they can have your hand in marriage."

"Ugh," Shinoa said before cooing at the dragon and it backed up a little before turning around and leaving the two in the large hall. "It's my father's fault in the first place and he's still trying to marry me off."

"Look, I don't want to marry you either but-"

"Then why are you here?" Shinoa asked, her eyes narrowed as she squatted down to the same level as him.

Yuu could now see the young and youthful face of the rumoured princess, but her hardened expression spoke volumes of the hardships that she endured.

"I… I was given the task to find you and slay the dragon before I could even be considered as a candidate for the love of my life. I was not born into nobility so I needed to prove myself worthy of his hand in marriage," Yuu said and hoped that Shinoa was unable to see his redden face even with the light from the lantern.

"His hand in marriage…?" Shinoa lowly repeated but Yuu couldn't catch the words she mumbled. "Okay, let me strike you a deal."

"You don't want to marry me right?" Yuu asked and Shinoa rolled her eyes at the fear in his eyes.

"There's someone I rather marry than you. But I need your help to meet her again since I was forbidden to see her before I left," Shinoa said. Yuu could sympathize with her. The reason for his journey was to be with the one he loved. If Shinoa was in the same predicament that he could help, he would gladly do so.

But before Yuu could agree, his stomach growled with the hunger from last night. Shinoa blinked a few times before laughing loudly that it echoed in the large hall. Yuu's face flushed even more in embarrassment as she tried to calm herself with deep breathes and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Well then, how about we both get some good food before we make the escape plan," Shinoa said as she pulled a blade from the sheath. She began to cut the ropes and freed Yuu from his constraints.

He stood up and stretched his body. Yuu could feel his joints complaining as he stretched but it subsided with the small ebbing pain in his neck, presumably when Shinoa hit him earlier. He didn't blame her for being scared of some random man that appeared in her place of dwelling with no warning.

After Shinoa tucked away her blade and Yuu finished up with his quick stretches, she motioned him to follower her.

"Although this is not necessary for our plans, do you know who Mitsuba Sanguu is?"

~ Royal Goose Chase ~

For a princess, Shinoa was surprisingly resourceful. For someone who had been living on her own for two years, she had nothing more than the clothes on her back. She has a dragon too, but Yuu didn't think that having a 16 feet tall dragon helped much, especially since everyone is afraid.

"Ready to go?" Shinoa said as she finished tying her makeshift satchel. It was incredibly impressive as it was simply some cloth and rope holding everything together.

"Of course," Yuu said, feeling a lot safer with his sword by his side again. "If we leave now, we should be able to reach the town shortly before the sun sets and-"

"Town? Why are we heading there?" Shinoa said as the wind picked up. She looked up with her hands blocking the sun from her eyes and Yuu did the same. He saw the dragon with his wings spread out wide, drafting up dust and leaves with every movement.

Yuu shut his eyes and moved his hands to cover his nose and mouth to avoid the flying debris from entering his system. He opened his eyes again after a great gush of wind pushed him back a bit to see Shinoa already petting the dragon's snout.

It was truly astonishing seeing the relationship between the princess and the dragon. All the rumours he heard about the princess that was taken away by the dragon. But the princess appeared to be protected rather than held prisoner. Heck, she seemed to be the one in control of the situation.

"You said that you were sent away by your father," Yuu interrupted the moment between the two, "But why would your father marry you off to anyone who was able to save you from the dragon?"

"Because he wanted to lock me away to keep me away from my love," Shinoa said before turning back to the dragon, "But on the journey to the place where my father wanted to keep me, Shi-chan stopped them and we lived in this ruins since."

"So then the men ran back to your father and reported the incident," Yuu deducted and Shinoa nodded.

"Since my father always wanted me to force me into a political marriage, I don't see why he's willing to give me away to anyone," Shinoa said bitterly but laughed when the dragon licked her face, "Thanks Shi-chan, I'm just thinking about my father again."

"Your father received many sympathies from the neighbouring kingdoms. It was also a test of strength and pride for someone to be able to defeat the dragon," Yuu explained, "at least that's what I was told."

"Makes sense," Shinoa said with a click of her tongue, "so, you ready for the ride of a lifetime."

"You don't mean…"

"I do," Shinoa said as she readjusted the satchel and started to climb onto the back of the dragon.

Yuu paled at the thought of stepping remotely close to the dragon, but thinking back to how he's still alive and standing, he should live to see another day.

"Where to?" Shinoa asked as she watched Yuu struggle. She had half the mind to help him, but it was way more entertaining watching.

"Head to the West. It's not hard to miss the grand river beside the castle," Yuu said as he tried to figure out where he can and cannot step. Eventually, even the dragon was fed up with him and used his tail to give Yuu a hard shove in the right direction.

~ Royal Goose Chase ~

Riding on the back of a dragon wasn't so bad. At least that's what he thought until Shinoa commanded the dragon to fly faster and everything became a blur.

Amidst the flight, Yuu didn't realize he grasped onto Shinoa in fear of falling off until the dragon slowed down. He yelped while letting go, slipped back a little and apologize profusely. Shinoa only rolled her eyes and told him to be vigilant of his surroundings as he was to tell her where to land.

But soon enough, the castle came into sight and the dragon prepared for landing. As they flew lower, Yuu could hear screams of fear as people likely noticed the large dragon literally flying over their heads.

Their arrival was also scared the guards as they were surrounded with soldiers, all pointing their weapons towards them.

"Shi-chan won't hurt you if you don't hurt him," Shinoa announced as she jumped off with grace. This surprised the men as they all whispered to each other, unsure of what to do.

Yuu would have done the same, but he feared that his entrance will be less graceful. But once again, the dragon gave him a shove of the tail and he luckily landed on his feet. A chorus of acknowledgement rang through the small crowd as they mostly recognized him, the loudmouth that demanded the prince's hand in marriage had he slayed the dragon and saved the princess.

"What is- IS THAT A DRAGON IN MY COURT?"

The soldiers all dropped down to their knee to greet the King and Yuu did the same. Shinoa stood her ground but curtsied when the King looked her way.

"Princess Shinoa Hiragi," Shinoa said and lifted her head before the King uttered another word, "This is my companion, Shi-chan."

The dragon let out a huff of air, but it was so strong that it felt more like a strong breeze. The King paled and his attendant's wig moved, which he quickly readjusted.

"W-what may be your business here today?" the King stuttered out, not stepping closer.

"I can't hear you," Shinoa stated loudly as she rested her hands on her hips. This pulled the King out of shock and he snapped his finger.

"The King is telling you to state your business," the attendant stated in a louder yet shaky voice.

"I am the lost princess that Yuuichirou was tasked to find," Shinoa stated confidently. Everyone looked her up and down but the King was the one to laugh at the statement.

"Princess? Yuuichirou my boy, you bring here a dirty peasant girl that claims to be a princess?" the King said as he continued to laugh, "I also asked you to slay the dragon, not bring it back!"

"I-"

"Does anyone dare lay a hand on my Shi-chan?" Shinoa said coldly with murder in her eyes. "Many have tried in the past and failed, but Shi-chan is always up for the challenge, isn't that right?"

The dragon lowered his head and stared at the soldiers, whose legs started quivering as the golden eyes look over them like a hungry beast.

"H-how can you prove that you're the lost Princess?" the King demanded, but cowered back slightly when the dragon turned his attention to him, "For all I know, you're a wild dragon tamer and the Princess is long dead!"

"That is indeed a possibility," Shinoa said and stretched out her arm for the dragon. Everyone, save for Yuu, watched the dragon nuzzle against her torso as she stroked the snout, "But didn't you want to take the Princess for your own political influence? Having both the knight who slayed the dragon and the lost princess makes your Kingdom appear stronger than it is just with those who facts. However, I can guarantee you that my presence will only work until the Hiragi dismiss any rumours that your kingdom is alliance with them. My family is made up of cold, heartless people who will do anything to get what they want. And if they truly wanted me back," Shinoa said as she looked at the King with cold, blank eyes, "They would have already come for me."

"Your Majesty, this girl… She seems to resemble…"

"Mahiru Hiragi. She does indeed look a lot like her sister now that I look at her," the King said before turning back to Yuu, "You may have brought me the lost Princess, but I have no use for her. Nor do I have use for you either, my boy. You see, today is a grand day, you know why?"

"Because I fulfilled my end of the deal?" Yuu stated and the King only laughed.

"Of course not! Did you think I would hand over my eldest to you? It is true that I wanted the knight who was able to slay the dragon, but there is also a grand bounty upon the head of the lost Princess," the King stated.

Yuu unsheathed his sword and he stood protectively in front of Shinoa. He should have realized that the King would be so easy going but he didn't expect him to kill the princess.

"Put your sword away boy, I have no such intentions anymore," the King said but Yuu still stood his ground, "I don't want bloodshed on a joyous occasion. My son is to be married today!"

"Wait, you don't mean…!"

"But of course," the King said, his face twisted into a menacing smile, "Mikaela will marry a woman with high noble standing, not some lowly village boy such as yourself. I will say, you will probably become a high ranked soldier if you worked hard for a few years, but you want to marry my son? Ha, it's too far of a reach even if you were dreaming."

"You had this all planned from the beginning!" Yuu growled, forgetting his formalities with the king.

"I did not actually. My plan was for you to be killed by the dragon so that my son would forget about you altogether, but," the King said and narrowed his eyes at Shinoa, "the Hiragi family actually heard about the fool who dared challenge the dragon and gave me something in compensation to the lost Princess, a young maiden from the Sanguu family."

"You did not- If you lay a hand on my Mitsu," Shinoa growled. The dragon seemed to sense Shinoa's hostility and mirrored her actions.

"There's nothing I can do about it, she's a gift from the Hiragi. With this, the alliance is secured and you, my girl, will have to die here. Of course, I will have to lock you up and wait for tomorrow because like I said, I do not would want bloodshed on such a joyous occasion," the King stated and snapped his fingers again. This time, the soldiers stepped closer, their weapons pointed and ready. Yuu backed up on instinct but yelped when he saw a fury of flames.

The soldiers screamed and most fled at the sight. A few stayed, but all unharmed.

"Come back here you cowards!" the King yelled before calming down, "No matter, I'll just call for more troops! And archers! How will you deal with-"

"Your Majesty!"

"What is it?" the King yelled at the maid. The woman immediately dropped her hands and knees, her whole body shaking.

"Your Majesty, they're gone."

"Who's gone?!"

"The Prince and the bride! Neither of them are to be seen anywhere!"

"There is our chance to escape," Shinoa whispered as she pulled Yuu with her. The soldiers had their backs turned, giving them an opportunity. Yuu quickly sheathed his sword and followed Shinoa's steps.

"Find them!"

In a blink of an eye, they were off the ground and the yelling grew distance.

"What now?" Shinoa asked, "We're both dead meat if we land anywhere remotely close. And it's only a matter of time before the shithead gathers enough people that could overpower Shi-chan."

"Our only choice is to go somewhere far from here," Yuu stated and Shinoa snorted.

"I rather not live the rest of my life with Shi-chan and you. I liked it better on my own with a dragon."

"Although we just acquainted not long ago, I rather not do that either. But didn't you hear what the madman said? Mika and Mitsu ran-"

"That's Mitsuba for you, only I can call her Mitsu."

"Right. Anyways, they ran away, that means we can find them and we'll all start our new lives together, but somewhere far away."

"But they ran away," Shinoa reiterated. "How are we supposed to find them?"

"Mika is a tricky one, but I think they went to find us. So we should head back to your abandoned castle to look for them."

"But how would they know where to go? Mitsu isn't the type of person who is able to run away."

"But Mika is. Trust me on this one," Yuu said as they flew higher, "He was the one who gave me a map of all the villages I could stop by on my journey."

~ Royal Goose Chase ~

"How much longer do we have to walk?" Mitsuba whined.

"Are you tired?" Mika asked, but Mitsuba shook her head, her cheeks tinted pink.

"I was merely wondering how long this journey is," Mitsuba stated, but did not protest when Mika suggested they take a short break under a large tree.

"The next town isn't too far away," Mika said as he looked at map, "We could find an inn and rest for the day. I assume you aren't accustomed to this sort of thing, travelling by foot I mean."

"What? You are saying you're used to walking princey boy?" Mitsuba said as she tossed a pebble at Mika.

"Not such long distances, but how do you think we snuck out so easily?" Mika said with a wink. "The castle is suffocating at times. I just needed to get away… just for a bit."

"Is that how you met Akane and the kids?" Mitsuba asked, seeing how familiar the village kids and Mika were to each other before they fled the kingdom. It was a teary goodbye, especially the younger children that don't understand the political and social systems of royalty and why Mika had to leave.

"Yeah, and the first time I met Yuu-chan was when he tried to steal my money bag," Mika said fondly, "We became acquainted shortly after he stopped trying to steal from me and I met all the other orphans."

"That's a story to tell," Mitsuba snorted, "How I met my lover, he tried to steal my money."

"That is what happened," Mika laughed before clearing his throat, "I did want to stay behind and make the kingdom a better place. After seeing the conditions they were in, it justified his actions completely. I… I couldn't imagine what condition the kingdom was in while I lived lavishly in the castle. But it's a common theme, corruption doesn't simply exist in my kingdom, but in others as well. It's hard to accept such realities, but seeing you being traded off like merchandise was the last straw for me. I will not let them do as they like and return you to your lover."

"Geez, you don't have to say it like that… Shinoa and I know that we couldn't stay together, especially since she was the Princess. But it was my fault that we were caught… I was too careless…"

"It doesn't matter now. We're going to her, and hopefully Yuu-chan didn't do anything stupid yet."

"Let's keep going!" Mitsuba said as she stood up with renewed energy, "Is there another town past this next one? Could we make it there before sunset then? We need to hurry since your knight is on a steed while we're on foot."

"There is and we should be able to make it if we don't take such long breaks," Mika said before tucking the map away and followed Mitsuba's lead. "He's many days ahead of us, but the other issue is whether or not he can take on a dragon and save your Princess."

A strong gush of wind blew by and they looked at each other in confusion. There had always been a slight breeze in the less dense areas of the forest, but that came as a surprise to the two.

"Are you okay?" Mika asked and Mitsuba nodded as she tucked away a stray strand of hair.

"Is that normal?"

"Not to my knowledge… We should keep moving."

"Yeah."

They continued walking but took a break at the close by village. Mika bought some fruits at a stall before they left.

Although the sun was not high up in the sky, it was a bit hotter when the trees were sparse and let in sunlight. They had to take a short break and eat the fruits Mika brought earlier to cool down a little and rehydrate.

"Is the next town that far off?" Mitsuba asked, sweat dripping off her forehead. "We should have bought a hat or something. This sunlight is ridiculous."

"It's not too far off," Mika said as he looked around, "We can try finding a path that has more shade."

"It's best not to stray too far and get lost," Mitsuba said and wiped her sweat with her sleeve when Mika was not looking her way.

"At least there's a large cloud above us now," Mika said as the wind picked up again.

"Um, I don't think that's a cloud…" Mitsuba stated and Mika looked up. Something was moving down on them and Mika didn't take a long look to see what it was before pulling Mitsuba with him to avoid it. Another strong gush of wind knocked the two off their feet.

"Are you okay?" Mika asked as he slowly opened his eyes. Their eyes met and both blushed at how close they were.

"I think so," Mitsuba said as she scrambled onto her feet. She let out a cough as regained her composure and looked down at Mika with a hand extended. "Need a hand?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Mika said as he got to his feet.

"MITSUUUUU!"

Mitsuba only had a fraction of a second to turn around before being tackled onto the ground again. Mika paused in the middle of getting dirt off his outfit to see Mitsuba yelling at a woman who was grinning at her as she had Mitsuba pinned down to the ground.

"Mika!"

At the familiar call of his name, Mika turned around with a smile before Yuu ran up to him and swept him into a hug.

"I missed you so much," Yuu whispered into Mika's ear as he squeezed the other, afraid that Mika will somehow slip away from him again.

"I missed you too, Yuu-chan. I was so afraid that you were eaten by a dragon before I got there," Mika replied with a laugh and Yuu huffed. He pulled away but rested his hands on Mika's hips while Mika moved his arms to rest on Yuu's shoulders.

"What are you looking at?" Yuu asked as he turned around when he saw how pale Mika's face was. "Oh, he's friendly… for the most part."

"For the most part?" Mika asked but Yuu could hear the uneasiness in his voice.

"He's harmless!" Shinoa exclaimed. They turned to her to see that they flipped positions, now she was being pinned down by Mitsuba. "How else do you think your precious knight can come back to see you in one piece?"

"She does make a good point," Yuu said but Mika didn't seem too convinced as the dragon slowly approached them.

Yuu never saw the dragon look so docile except when he was being petted by Shinoa. Though Mika always did have a way with animals. Mika took a step closer to the dragon with his hand out stretched and the dragon moved his head for Mika to feel the scales of his snout.

"Wow," Mika said as the dragon open his eyes. Mika moved his hand away when the dragon lifted his head again and let out a small huff.

"That means he likes you," Shinoa said as she walked up to them. Her hair was much messier than it was before, but she didn't seem to mind. Mitsuba, on the other hand, was grumbling about something as she undid her pigtails and combed through her hair with her fingers.

"I knew they exist, but I never seen one so big," Mika said and laughed when the dragon nuzzled his side.

"That implies that there's others," Shinoa said with light amusement. She cooed and the dragon moved over to Shinoa.

"There are," Mika said with a nervous laugh.

"What?" Yuu and Mitsuba exclaimed. Shinoa looked equally shocked but looked more excited about it.

"My aunt kind of takes care of dragons? At least that's what I heard when I last saw her. But I had a hatchling bite me when I was younger so my parents kept me away. It's been a long time since I last saw her," Mika said and looked at the dragon, "I wonder if this one is a stray since her kingdom is some distance away. It's nearly impossible to find a dragon around here."

"Wow, thanks for telling me," Yuu said and playfully punched Mika in the arm.

"I forgot about it before. And I didn't think it was relevant for your journey just to tell you there's more of them," Mika countered, "Too many people boast about having a dragon as they are hard to tame. But the weather here becomes far too cold in the winters for dragons."

"That's true. Shi-chan always leaves at the change of seasons but comes back once the cold weather is over."

"He probably went South, it's a lot warmer and doesn't snow in the Winter," Mika explained.

"Well, our best bet is wherever Mika's aunt is since I don't think too many places will be too welcoming to a dragon," Yuu said and Shinoa nodded. He turned to Mika and smiled, "Do you think your aunt will open her doors to four strangers? Well, three strangers and her nephew?"

"She did always want me to visit…" Mika said, "but I don't think she'll be opposed to letting us stay once I explain our situation. She'll definitely be more welcoming and open than my father was."


End file.
